Daily ducklings: how they look, care and maintenance, temperature in the brooder

Raising ducks is a lucrative business. In everyday life, this bird is unpretentious, non-capricious, does not require much attention to itself. With a well-organized content, after 7-8 weeks you can get nutritious meat, fatty liver, warm fluff. To achieve good results, care for daily ducklings should be carried out in accordance with all the rules on compliance with which the immunity of an adult depends.

What day old ducklings look like

Day-old chicks are small fluffy, shiny, clean, dry lumps that actively move, scream loudly if something does not suit them. External indicators of a he althy herd of ducklings:

• clear, shiny eyes;
• uniform pink color beak;
• abdomen soft, navel closed, dry;
• tail and anus free of dried stool;
• smooth, no defects or damage to the foot.

He althy duckling, turned on its back, actively resists, tries to stand up. Too small specimens are suspicious. There is a high probability that in the future they will lag behind in growth, and their maintenance will have a negative impact on profitability.

Where to keep little ducklings

The ideal option for raising chicks is to leave them under the hen. She will provide the right temperature, teach all duck tricks.

But if the flock is hatched in an incubator or bought at a poultry market, the breeder will have to nurse the livestock.

Cardboard box

Baby ducks are placed in a large cardboard box. So that they do not freeze, a plastic container with warm water wrapped in a rag is placed inside the box. But this method of keeping is practiced for no more than a week. The chicks grow quickly, they begin to bathe even in a drinking bowl, the bottom of the box quickly gets wet.

Wooden box

In early spring, day old ducklings are placed in a barn. So that they do not freeze, they knock down a wooden box. The walls are insulated with foam or cardboard. In one of them, a hole is made through which the bird can enter the box. A container with hot water is placed in the box (it is better to take a 10-liter canister). Cover the box with a blanket or blanket. In a similar design, heat is stored for up to 8 hours.

If the purchase of chicks was made in the summer months, you can keep ducklings right in the courtyard, enclosing a small space for them. The only condition is the absence of drafts.

Rules of care

In the first week of life, ambient temperature is of great importance for the growth of chicks.

Containment conditions

Recommended conditions for keeping ducks:

Second18-26Third and subsequent16-18

Time period, by weeks	Temperature, ˚C
First	28-33

At home, for heating ducklings, brooders are constructed from table lamps with lampshades attached to them. To control the temperature, at the level of growth of the chicks, at a distance of 10-20 cm from the edge of the umbrella, thermometers are attached.

Experienced breeders judge compliance with the necessary conditions not by the temperature in the brooder, but by the condition of the ducklings.If the chicks are evenly distributed throughout the room, do not stray into flocks - the parameters are normal. Refusal to eat, open beaks, heavy breathing, frequent trips to the drinker indicate that the chicks are hot and need to lower the temperature. If they are cold, they squeak plaintively, climb on each other's heads, huddling together. Overheating of ducklings from the first day negatively affects their immunity. Subsequently, the chicks often get sick.

Feeding

As soon as the ducklings are dry, they are given food:

• From birth to 5 days, young animals are fed every 2 hours. The diet consists of finely chopped hard-boiled eggs mixed with crushed barley, oat or millet grains and greens (clover, dandelions);
• from the 6th day of life, mash is made on the basis of dairy or lactic acid products with the addition of fish oil;
• starting from a month, ducklings are transferred to a 3-time diet. Vegetables and food waste are added to the products already familiar to them. Ducklings eat duckweed with pleasure.

Do not feed sour feed to birds. A prerequisite for proper maintenance is fresh, clean water in drinking bowls.

Cleaning

The he alth and growth of chicks directly depend on the cleanliness and maintenance of ducklings. Every 7 days, feeders and drinkers are first washed with warm water, then disinfected. The premises for keeping young animals are also subjected to thorough cleaning. This helps to avoid most diseases that lead to stunting or death of the herd.

At what age can birds swim

Water procedures in open water are shown to waterfowl from the age of three weeks. By this time, the oil gland of the chicks begins to produce the fat necessary to lubricate the plumage.This way they won't get wet. Also, bathing in cold water can trigger a cold.

Before 21 days of age, ducklings should be limited to bathing in a small container indoors.

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